Jason Ribits, director of sales and marketing at Lakeshore Express, left, and Greg Stallkamp, CEO of the charter air service, on North Sheffield Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on Thursday. "It's a return to the way things used to be," Stallkamp said of Lakeshore Express. The service, which offers flights to Chicago and Pellston from Oakland County International Airport, charges no baggage fees, offers free cocktails and food on flights and has a three-minute security line. Dustin Blitchok-The Oakland Press

FYI

Follow Lakeshore Express on Twitter @lakeshoreexpres, find the charter airline on Facebook, Google Plus and YouTube and on Instagram @lakeshoreexpress.

chicago >> The Windy City is now reachable from Waterford in an hour’s time, no magic required.

Lakeshore Express, a public air charter company founded by Birmingham Seaholm High School graduate Greg Stallkamp, offers flights between Oakland County International Airport, Chicago Midway International Airport and Pellston Regional Airport in northern Michigan, located about 30 minutes from Petoskey.

Passengers arrive 30 minutes before their flight. Security and check-in take three minutes. Baggage, cocktails and snacks are free. There’s shuttle service on the ground.

One woman stood up after a flight and proclaimed to the other passengers, “Oh my god, it can be this easy!” CEO Stallkamp, 36, said, chatting at a Starbucks in his Chicago neighborhood.

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“At least 30 percent of our graduating class moved to Chicago,” he said. “We knew, in terms of this route, there’s so much traffic going back and forth all of the time.”

Lakeshore Express, which began in 2012 with flights between Chicago and Pellston, added service at Oakland County International last summer. The company is currently authorized to run four round trips per route per week, with plans to add daily flights between Waterford and Chicago by midsummer.

Partner Pentastar Aviation operates the flights, which take off from the Stargate terminal, just off North Oakland Boulevard north of Highland Road.

Customers from as far away as Ireland and Australia have connected to Lakeshore flights at Midway International Airport.

Berkley resident Jason Ribits, 36, director of sales and marketing at Lakeshore Express, graduated with Stallkamp from Seaholm in 1996.

“What we’re basically offering is a private flight experience for less than commercial fares,” Ribits said during a Thursday flight.

Fares are generally in the $150 range each way. Coupon codes are frequently offered on Lakeshore Express’ website and Facebook page.

The charter service uses leased 30-seat Saab 340B turboprops.

The Oakland Press participated Thursday in Lakeshore Express’ #WriteToFlyLakeshore initiative, which aims to put writers in the skies between the communities it serves for free, in the same vein as a program for writers recently announced by Amtrak.

“Professional writers and bloggers who are going between those destinations, covering the different stories or aspects of what makes those destinations special -- I think it’s a win for everybody,” Ribits said.

When Michigan State University’s football team advanced to the Rose Bowl late last year, airfare to California climbed into the thousands as Spartans scrambled to witness the team’s first appearance in Pasadena since 1988.

Ribits and Stallkamp rented a Boeing 737 and organized a charter flight for 150 people to Los Angeles on short notice.

A shuttle is planned to Pellston in May for the Mackinac Policy Conference. Mackinac Island is a popular destination for Lakeshore customers, as the Pellston airport is a 20-minute shuttle ride from the ferry dock in Mackinaw City.

Skiing enthusiasts, businesspeople, college students and their parents, vacationers and others use Lakeshore Express to dodge hours of driving, Ribits said.

“For business travelers, time is money. For leisure travelers, it’s more vacation time.”

He pointed out another key difference between flights with the Chicago-based startup and large commercial airlines.

“You can keep your shoes on. We encourage you to keep your shoes on,” Ribits said with a laugh.

About the Author

I cover the City of Pontiac, as well as the northern Oakland County communities of Brandon Township, the Village of Ortonville, Springfield Township and Groveland Township. Reach the author at dustin.blitchok@oakpress.com
or follow Dustin on Twitter: @SincerelyDustin.